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Remember those overnight queues for the first iPhone? It seems like Apple has managed to stoke the fires of excitement once again with the new iPhone X, with the Guardian reporting on lines of people waiting in front of iStores in Tokyo, Sydney, London and other countries.

Billed as “the future of the smartphone,” the device is also the most expensive yet, with buyers not concerned about coughing up $999 for the 64 GB version, increasing to $1149 for the 265 GB unit.

A 21-year-old college student at Apple’s Ometesando store in Tokyo started queuing six days before launch to be first in line, out-doing 550 other Apple fanboys. An 18-year-old builder in Sydney camped outside the central Sydney Apple Store for a full week before deciding to pay to get to the front of the 400-person queue. Strong lines were also reported in London, Moscow, Amsterdam, Dubai and Stateside.

The Guardian notes that the pre-orders of the device were gone in mere minutes when it went online on 27 October. Rumours have abounded regarding possible supply problems, further encouraging fans to buy early. But according to some of the paper’s sources, these concerns might not be as bad as expected.

Apart from providing a 5.8” Super Retina all-screen, bezel-less display, the iPhone X also offers Apple’s new Face ID to unlock the phone and facilitate payments. There has been no word yet on when the iPhone X will launch in South Africa, nor at which price, but with the iPhone 9 starting at R13 500, a R20 000 price tag for the X might just be on the cards.